Adjustable crutch.



No. 705,74l. Patented July 29, I902.

w. F. nmaw. ADJUSTABLE CBUTCH.

(Application filed Nov. 4, 1901.)

(Ill) Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WARREN F. DREW, OF' SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO FRANK G. SNOOK, OF SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA.

. ADJUSTABLE CRUTCH.

SPECIFICATION forming art of Letters were ndvoa'zm, dated. July 29, 1902.

Application filed November 4, 1901. Serial No. 81 ,012 (No model.) i

fornia, have invented an Improvement in Adjustable Crutches; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My inventionrelates to an improvement in IQ crutches and of the parts and the constructions and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a side view of my invention. Fig.

2 is an enlarged horizontal section on the line w 00, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 isavertical section of the clasp, collar, and plate. Fig. 4 is a portion of a perspective view of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a horizontal section of tubular legs for the crutch. Fig. 6 is a portion of a perspective view of Fig. 5.

The legs A of the crutch may be made of metal and wholly or partially tubular, and the upper part 2 may be tubular and slidably adjustable upon the lower part A, with suitable means for locking the two parts at any point of their extension, or the two parts may be made of wood and slidable upon each other, with similar lockingdevices, the oper- 3o ation being essentially the same in both cases.

As shown in the drawings, my crutch con sists of two parts, which are joined together at the bottom to make a single foot, having the usual or any suitable shoe upon the lower end. .At a point some distance above the lower end these two partsseparate, diverging gradually to a point where the handhold 3 extends across from one to the other,

thence converging slightly and connecting 0 with the upper part 2, which extends upwardly to the part 4, which serves as an armsupport and with which the parts 2 are connected.

As shown in Fig. 1, the portionsAare made of wood, flattened on the sides contiguous to the portions 2, which extend down over them, following their curvature and being slidable upon the parts A. These parts may be guided and kept together in any suitable manner by 5 bands or, as I have here shown, by longitu in the other, as at 5.

The upper ends of the parts A have bands 6 secured to them and of sufficient size exterior to the parts A to allow the parts 2 to slide freely through the guides thusformed. The lower ends of the parts 2 have similar clasps and guides 7 secured to them and slidable over the parts A, thus allowing the crutch to be extended or shortened within the limits of the overlapping sections A and 2.

In Fig. 5 the parts are made tubular, one of theportions A being of smaller diameter than the other and slidable withinit. In the present case I have shown the lower portion as being of the smallest diameter and the upper portion of sufficiently larger diameter so that they telescope freely together. In this construction the exterior portion has a 1011- gitudinal slot or channel 8 made in one side dinal tongues formed in one face and grooves and of sufficient length to cover the possible adjustments. This slot is sufficiently open so that when pressure is brought to bear upon the outer tube it will be clamped with sufficient friction against the inner tube to firmly lock the parts together. This isdone whenever tliecrutch has been adjusted to the desired length.

In the construction shown in Fig. 1 the two parts A and 2 are inclosed by a band, (shown at 9,) and within this band is the clamp,which rigidly secures the two parts together, which is made as follows: The band 9 is brought together and has a screw-threaded bolt formed or connected with it, as shown at 10. This bolt extends into a correspondingly screwthreaded'nut 11, which fits the end of the handhold or grip 3. This grip has a hole made entirely through it, and. upon one end is a nut 11, having a right-hand screw-thread, and upon the other end a similar nut has a left-hand screw-thread. The screw-threaded shanks 10 of the clasps 9 are correspondingly right and left threaded, so that when the grip 3 is turned in one direction both the screws will be drawn into the grip and when turned in the opposite direction they will be forced outward. Loosely surrounding these screwshanks are ferrules or collars 12, the inner ends of which abut against the nuts 11 and the outer ends against plates 13, which are interposed between the parts A and the ferrules and which are clamped against the wood of the parts A and prevent their being damaged by undue pressure when clamped together. In order to prevent the ferrules from turning, they are slotted and tongues 14 are cut outof the platesl3 and turned up, so as to pass through these slots, as shown, thus preventing the ferrules from being turned around when the friction contact of the nuts 11 is increased. By this construction it is only necessary to turn the grips 3 in one direction to loosen the binding of the parts, and the two parts A and 2 may be slidably moved one upon the other until the proper length of the device has been obtained. At the same time the grips 3 can be correspondingly moved up or down to suit the length of arm of the user, and then by turning the grips in the opposite direction upon the right and left screw-threaded bolts the nuts 11 will be forced against the ferrules or collars 12 and the latter correspondingly pressed against the parts A or the interposed protecting plate 13 while the band 9, to which the bolts are connected, pulling against the outer surface of the part 2 will clamp the two parts of the crutch strongly together. In case of an extremely heavy person or where there is some danger that this clamp will not be sufficient a screw bolt or pin may be put through either of the plates 6 or 7, which clasp the upper or lower ends and junctions of the two parts of the crutch.

When the parts A and 2 are made in the form of tubular metal sections, the outer one being slot-ted at 8, as previously described, the band 9 surrounds the outer tube, and the screw-threaded bolt 10 forms an extension of it, as previously described. In this case the end of the collar or ferrule 12 which abuts against the slotted tube 2 is made segmental in shape, so as to partially clasp this tube, and when the parts are drawn together by the turning of the grip 3 the inclosing segment 12 compresses the outer tube and by reason of it being slotted clamps it firmly upon the inner one.

In order to prevent the grips turning backward to release the clamp, a suitable latch or stop maybe employed. Such a stop is shown at 16 in the form of a slide on one part adapted to engage notches on the other contiguous part.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a crutch, the combination of tubular telescopic leg portions, the outer of said portions being longitudinally slotted, a handhold extending transversely between the legs and having terminal bands inclosing said slotted portions, and clamping mechanism carried by said handhold by which the said slotted portions are contracted and looked upon its respective slidable part.

2. In a crutch of the character described, upper and lower members slidably movable to lengthen or shorten the structure, hand grips and clamps controlled thereby to lock the parts together, and locking devices to prevent the clamps being turned backward.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

WARREN F. DREW.

Witnesses:

S. H. NOURSE, CHAS. E. TOWNSEND. 

